Skin diver&#39;s combined float and equipment carrier



July 24, 1962 R. P. MITCHELL SKIN DIVERS COMBINED FLOAT AND EQUIPMENTCARRIER Filed July 1l, 1960 3,@45262 Patented July 24, 1962 .tice

3,045,262 SKIN DIVERS COMBINED FLOAT AND EQUIPMENT CARRIER Robert P.Mitchell, 4335 Poplar St., San Diego 5, Cahir'. Filed July 11, 1960,Ser. No. 41,812 2 Claims. (Cl. 9-1) The present invention relatesgenerally to marine accessories and more particularly to a skin diverscombined ofat and equipment carrier.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a skin diversequipment carrier having integral dotation chambers at the ends thereof,the chambers being fitted with sealed doors so that the spaces can beused to hold various items of equipment, the central portion of thestructure between the flotation chambers comprising a catch container-which is vented to admit water and is also titted with easily openeddoors to retain live catch.

Another object of this invention is to provide a iioat and equipmentcarrier which is easily handled in the water and is reasonably shallowto float low in the water, so that catch can be placed in the centralcompartment with a minimum of effort and without laffecting the buoyancyof the iloat.

A further object of this invention is -to provide a cornbined iloat andequipment carrier which is light in weight and can be transported las aback pack or carried by a convenient handle, which also serves forhandling and towing in the water.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a float andequipment carrier which can be made in different sizes from variousmaterials, according to speciilc needs.

Finally, it is an object to provide a combined iloat and equipmentcarrier of the aforementioned character which is simple and convenientto make and use and which will give generally eicient and dur-ableservice.

With these and other objects denitely in view, this invention consistsin the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements andportions, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification,particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the drawingwhich forms a material part of this disclosure, and in which:

p FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the complete structure, a portion ofone door being cut away; v

FIGUR-E 2` is a sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is la sectional view taken on the line 3-'3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken on-the line 4-4 of lFIGURE 2.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar or identical elementsand portions throughout the specification and throughout the views ofthe drawing.

The complete unit, referred to hereinafter as the float 10, is algenerally rectangular, hollow" structure divided into a central catchcompartment 12 and a pair of buoyancy chambers 1'4 and 16. Forconvenience, the buoyancy chamber 16 may have a rounded end 18 and anupwardly curved lower surface 20, this arrangement making the floateasier to tow in the water and slide up on the beach and mostimportantly, also providing clearance for the back of the head when thefloat is carried as a back pack. The catch compartment 12 is separatedyfrom the buoyancy chambers by upright sealed partitions 22 extendingbetween the sides 24 of the iloat 10, the bottom panel 26 of said catchcompartment being provided with a plurality of spaced openings Z8 forIfree circulation of water and air. The catch compartment 12 is providedwith a pair of large doors 30 attached at their opposite, remote edgesby hinges 32, adjacent portions 22, so that the doors swing upwardly andoutwardly. The side edges 34 of the door opening have depressed flanges36 on which door-s 30 rest when closed, said doors having catches 38when engage detents 40 on said" top panel to hold the doors, closed. Thecatches and detents may be of any suitable type, such as ball catches,friction clips, or magnetic catches, as required and handles 42 are xedto the doors 30 for ease of opening.

The buoyancy chambers 14 and 16 are each sealed except for a smallaccess door 44, indicated as generally rectangular and attached byhinges 46 .at one end. Each accessdoor 44 seats on a peripheraldepressed ange 48 formed integrally in the top panel 50 of the float,the closures being sealed by suitable gaskets 52 of rubber or the like.To ensure proper sealing, positive locking means such as the twist typelatches `54 is preferred, although other locking devices, bolts, or thelike may be used.

For carrying as a back pack, the iloat 10 is provided with shoulderstraps 56 having adjustable buckles 58, said straps ybeing riveted orotherwise secured to the bottom panel 26 to preserve the sealing of thebuoyancy chambers. To facilitate handling, a conventional luggage typecarrying handle 60 is secured to one side 24, while for added utility, apair of short retaining straps 62 are iixed to said side to hold a speargun or the like, indicated in broken line at 64.

In use the float is towed in the water by the diver and can be used yforsupport when needed. Various items of equipment such as mask or goggles,tins and breathing apparatus, may be stored in the buoyancy chamberswhen not in use, but are readily accessible when needed. Since the float10 is relatively shallow, the catch compartment 12 is easily reached bya diver swimming alongside to deposit live catch or marine samples, thedoors 3i) preventing loss of the catch even in rough water, while theopenings 28 ensure a supply of Water to sust-ain live catch ifnecessary. When the catch compartment 12 is heavily loaded, the curvedlower surface 20` at one end enables the float to be pulled up on thebeach or shore with a minimum of effort.

The structure is particularly suitable for manufacture from plastic orreinforced plastic material, resulting in a light -unit with goodbuoyancy, although light allow metal may be utilized for construction ifdesired. The straps, buckles, hinges `and other hardware used may be ofany readily available commercial types and can vary considerably,according to size and strength requirements.

The operation of this invention will be clearly comprehended from aconsideration of the foregoing description of the mechanical detailsthereof, taken in connection with the drawing and the above recitedobjects. It will be obvious that all said objects are amply achieved bythis invention.

It is understood that minor variation from the form of the inventiondisclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scopeof the invention, and that the specifica-tion and drawing are to beconsidered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

I claim:

1. A combined float and equipment carrier, comprising: a hollow body ofsubstantially rectangular cross section having imperforate sides,imperforate ends, a perforated bottom panel, and a top panel; :abuoyancy chamber at each end of said body, one end of each buoyancychamber being integral with one end of said body, said body forming acatch compartment between said buoyancy chambers, the perforated bottompanel of said catch cornpartment causing circulation of water therein; apair of doors positioned in said top panel of said catch compartment andhinged to open upwardly and outwardly in opposite directions; detentmeans cngageable to hold said doors in closed position; a hinged `accessdoor positioned in the top portion of each of said `buoyancy chambers;sealing means surrounding and sealing said access doors of ksaidbuoyancy chambers in their closed position; the lower portion of one ofsaid buoyancy chambers having an upwardly curved, substantially arcuateend portion.

2. A combined oat and equipment carrier according to claim 1 Iandincluding a pair of shoulder straps attached to the bottom of said bodyand disposed thereon to fit over -the shoulders and under the armpitsyfor carrying the body with said curved buoyancy chamber uppermost in anup-ended position, and with the curved end portion thereof to provideclearance for the wearers head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS821,806 Johnston May 29, 1906 4 Parkin Mar. 10, Robinson Sept. 14,Baxter Mar. 22, Rabjohn June 12, Spotswood Nov. 3, Adams July 30, BishopAug. 4,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain June 26, France Nov. 17,

